Tag: Coding

Posted on

Why Didn’t I Think of This in 2005?

Day 21 of 100 Days Coding Challenge: Python

When I saw “audio-to-text converter” on the list, my brain did a dramatic slow turn and whispered, “Where were you twenty years ago?” I mean, really—this could’ve saved me hours of repeating the word “vegetable” into a cassette recorder, trying to sound less like an anime character doing karaoke. Back then, I was on a one-woman mission to master English pronunciation, and a tool like this would’ve felt like cheating—but the good kind. Now, with AI and a little Python magic, I have made a program that converts my voice into readable text. Only catch? It plays favorites with WAV files. No love for MP3s. So naturally, I whipped up an MP3-to-WAV converter on the side, because why not? I recorded my voice straight from my laptop, half-expecting it to transcribe me saying something profound. Instead, I got back “this is a test.” Which is fair. It was.

Today’s Motivation / Challenge

Today’s project is the kind of tool you don’t know you need until you really need it—like when you’re trying to capture a brilliant idea mid-shower, but this time, it’s your voice memos from a walk, an interview, or that rambling TED Talk you gave to your cat. Audio-to-text isn’t just practical—it’s empowering, especially for learners, note-takers, and people who speak faster than they type.

Purpose of the Code (Object)

This simple program listens to your audio file and writes down what you said. That’s it. You talk, it types. It works best with clear speech and doesn’t judge your accent (too much). You can even record yourself with a laptop mic and see your words appear as text. It’s like magic—but with WAV files.

AI Prompt:

Create a Python script using the SpeechRecognition library that takes an audio file (preferably WAV), converts it to text, and prints the result. Add basic error handling. Bonus: include a simple MP3-to-WAV converter using pydub.

Functions & Features

  • Load an audio file (WAV preferred)
  • Convert speech in the file to text
  • Display transcription
  • Convert MP3 to WAV if needed

Requirements / Setup

bash

CopyEdit

pip install SpeechRecognition

pip install pydub

You’ll also need ffmpeg installed and added to PATH for MP3 support.

Minimal Code Sample

import speech_recognition as sr

recognizer = sr.Recognizer()

with sr.AudioFile(r”C:\path\to\your.wav”) as source:

    audio = recognizer.record(source)

    text = recognizer.recognize_google(audio)

    print(text)  # This prints your spoken words

Audio to Text GUI

Notes / Lessons Learned


 So here’s the thing: I wrote audio_file = “C:\Users\tinyt\OneDrive\Desktop\Test\Recording.wav” and, well… Python had a meltdown. Apparently, \t is not just a cute path separator—it’s a tab. Classic Windows-path betrayal. Once I added a humble little r in front like this—r”C:\Users\tinyt\…”—the program stopped being dramatic and worked like a charm. But let’s be real: rewriting the file path in code every time?

That’s a cry for a GUI. So, I made one. And it was glorious. Click, select, transcribe—done. Also, a fun fact: if you skip articles in your speech, the program skips them in your text too. No article, no mercy. And if your grammar is questionable? The output will happily reflect that. It’s an honest mirror, not a grammar teacher.

Optional Ideas for Expansion

  • Add a “Save as TXT” button for transcribed text
  • Let users choose between multiple languages for transcription
  • Record audio directly in the app, no file needed

Day 20
Day 22

Posted on

You Had One Job, Resume!

Day 20 of 100 Days Coding Challenge: Python

Do you know what an ATS resume keyword checker is? About 15 years ago, I had a chat with a friend in HR who casually dropped the term “Applicant Tracking System,” or ATS, as if it were common knowledge. I nodded like I totally knew what she meant, but inside I was thinking, “Ah, yes, the mythical software that eats resumes for breakfast.” She explained that ATS was used to sort through the avalanche of job applications—often over a thousand per listing. But here’s the kicker: the system also had a habit of rejecting the best candidates because they didn’t use the “right” words. The irony stuck with me.

So today, I decided to take matters into my own hands and see if I could make a mini version of this digital gatekeeper, ATS resume keyword checker. Because if robots are going to judge us, we may as well peek under their hood.

Today’s Motivation / Challenge


 We’ve all seen those job listings with 50 “required” skills. And let’s be honest—some of them are just buzzword soup. Today’s challenge was about building a tool to fight back. The goal: create a little program that reads your resume and checks it against keywords from a job description. It’s like prepping for a job interview with a cheat sheet—except you built the cheat sheet yourself.

Purpose of the Code (Object)


 This code scans your resume and tells you how well it matches a job posting based on keywords. It’s not reading your experience like a recruiter—it’s just playing word bingo. If you mention “Excel,” and the job wants “Excel,” that’s a point for you. The higher the match score, the more likely you are to pass the digital bouncer at the job club door.

AI Prompt: 

 Build a Streamlit app that uploads a resume (.txt or .pdf), compares it against comma-separated keywords, shows which ones are matched and which are missing, and calculates a match score.

Functions & Features

  • Uploads resume in .txt or .pdf format
  • Accepts comma-separated job keywords
  • Checks which keywords are present in the resume
  • Calculates a match score (%)
  • Displays found and missing keywords in separate lists

Requirements / Setup


 Install these before running:

bash

CopyEdit

pip install streamlit PyPDF2

Then run the app using:

bash

CopyEdit

streamlit run your_script.py

Minimal Code Sample

python

CopyEdit

def check_keywords(text, keywords):

    found = [kw for kw in keywords if kw.lower() in text.lower()]

    missing = [kw for kw in keywords if kw.lower() not in text.lower()]

    return found, missing

This function splits your keywords into found and missing by checking if they show up in the resume text.

Resume Checker App_GUI

Notes / Lessons Learned


 The programming part was smooth. Honestly, I was feeling confident—until I tried to run my Streamlit app like a normal Python script. That’s when Streamlit wagged its finger at me: “Session state does not function when running a script without streamlit run.” Touché, Streamlit. Once I launched it the proper way, everything clicked. I tested the app with a job listing from Indeed and my own five-year-old resume. The result? A humble 50% match. Moral of the story: your resume may be a masterpiece, but if it doesn’t speak ATS language, it’s not getting past the door. Tailoring your resume for each job isn’t just good advice—it’s algorithmic survival.

Optional Ideas for Expansion

  • Add an option to upload a job description file and auto-extract keywords
  • Highlight matched keywords directly in the resume text
  • Export the results as a PDF or CSV for review
Day 19
Day 21

Posted on

Ctrl + M: Merging PDFs Like a Boss With Python PDF Merger GUI

Day 19 of 100 Days Coding Challenge: Python

Have you ever stood at your flatbed scanner, flipping page after page like a 90s office clerk in a movie montage, only to realize—“Oh great, now I have five separate PDFs that should have been one”? Welcome to my world. We’ve got one of those dinosaurs of a scanner that spits out a new file for every single page, and while it’s good at being stubborn, it’s not great at convenience. Sure, there are free websites that claim they’ll merge your files in a flash.

But when those PDFs contain personal, sensitive, or just plain embarrassing content (say, your creative attempts at calligraphy), uploading them to a mystery website isn’t exactly comforting. So I did what any slightly paranoid, slightly annoyed person would do—I made my own PDF merger. Because sometimes, security means building your own tools with a splash of Python and a sprinkle of stubbornness.

Today’s Motivation / Challenge


Today was about practicality. Merging PDFs sounds boring until you actually need to do it—and then you realize it’s oddly satisfying, like organizing your bookshelf by color or alphabetizing your spice rack. Also, there’s something empowering about replacing a clunky online tool with your own sleek script. This challenge hit that sweet spot between “annoyed enough to act” and “curious enough to build.”

Purpose of the Code (Object)


This little Python program takes all the PDF files in a folder and smooshes—yes, smooshes—them together into one tidy document. No need to click through a bunch of file pickers. No typing long file paths. Just point it to a folder, and poof! One big, shiny PDF.

AI Prompt:


“Rewrite the script so that it automatically merges all .pdf files in a folder, no typing required. Also, make it a GUI version.”

Functions & Features

  • Select a folder via a simple GUI window
  • Automatically find and merge all .pdf files in that folder
  • Save the merged file with a custom filename

Requirements / Setup


 To run the program, you need:

bash

CopyEdit

pip install PyPDF2

Python 3.x is recommended (Tkinter is usually pre-installed)

Minimal Code Sample

from tkinter import filedialog

import os, PyPDF2

folder = filedialog.askdirectory()

pdfs = sorted([f for f in os.listdir(folder) if f.endswith(“.pdf”)])

merger = PyPDF2.PdfMerger()

for pdf in pdfs:

    merger.append(os.path.join(folder, pdf))

merger.write(“merged_output.pdf”)

This merges all PDFs in the selected folder in alphabetical order.

PDF Merger

Notes / Lessons Learned


This was my first Python GUI script that I actually plan to use often—and honestly, that’s the best kind. My first version worked, but it asked me to type full file paths like some kind of unpaid intern. One typo, and it all crashed. Then I remembered that I am, in fact, very lazy. So I upgraded to a GUI. One click to select the folder. No paths, no quotes, no drama. It’s exactly the kind of script that “future me” will thank “past me” for—like finding frozen soup in the back of the freezer when you’re starving. Am I proud? Absolutely. Will I use this over and over? Also yes.

Optional Ideas for Expansion

  • Add drag-and-drop support for merging selected files
  • Let the user reorder files before merging
  • Show a preview of filenames and file sizes before final merge

Day 18
Day 20

Posted on

Python, Clean Up Your Room!

Day 18 of 100 Days Coding Challenge: Python

Let’s get one thing straight: I am not a digital Marie Kondo. My desktop often looks like a digital garage sale, and every few weeks, I muster the courage to face it—dragging files around like I’m playing a very boring version of Tetris. I usually go the old-fashioned route: click, drag, sort, sigh. Then, one day, while sorting my pictures, I thought… Wait a minute. I know Python. Why am I doing this with my human hands? So, I decided to create a Python file organizer script to organize my pictures.

Today’s Motivation / Challenge

Today’s project tackles a common monster: messy folders. Whether it’s your Downloads folder, your project archive, or that strange desktop abyss, the pain is universal. The challenge? Build a simple, no-fuss tool that does the sorting for you—like a digital butler who doesn’t judge your file-naming habits.

Purpose of the Code (Object)

This little script organizes all the files in a selected folder by their file extensions. That means all your .jpg files go to the “jpg” folder, .pdf files go to the “pdf” folder, and your .who-knows files? They get a home too. It’s your personal assistant for decluttering—minus the hourly rate.

AI Prompt:

Python code to organize files in a folder by their file extension. Include a GUI for folder selection and an undo function to reverse the operation.

Functions & Features

  • Sorts files by extension into neat subfolders
  • Ignores folders and only targets loose files
  • GUI-based folder selection (no need to type paths)
  • Undo function to restore files to original locations

Requirements / Setup

  • Python 3.6+
    No pip installs required—just your standard library.

Minimal Code Sample

python

CopyEdit

ext = ext[1:].lower() or “no_extension”

dest = os.path.join(folder_path, ext)

shutil.move(file_path, os.path.join(dest, filename))

This sorts each file into a folder named after its extension.

File Organizer

Notes / Lessons Learned

This time, I couldn’t resist poking the code like a cat with a suspicious shoelace. I renamed ChatGPT to “Mrs. Cat” just to see if she’d organize with more sass (she didn’t). Then I fed the script a folder full of chaos—downloads, screenshots, and whatever that .swf file was. Everything got tucked neatly into place. The thrill of seeing it work was only topped by the dread of realizing I’d just hidden all my junk into different corners. So, naturally, I added an undo button. Because sometimes, you need to imagine the consequences before you automate your mess.

Optional Ideas for Expansion

  • Add a “preview before sort” function so you can see what’s about to move
  • Let users customize folder names (e.g., “Images” instead of “jpg”)
  • Add a cleanup timer to auto-organize your folder once a week

Day 17
Day 19

Posted on

Choose Your Own Debugging Adventure

Day 17 of 100 Days Coding Challenge: Python

When I was a kid, I got hooked on those old-school text-based games—the ones where you’d type “go north” and end up in a cave with a troll and no map. Pure magic. Eventually, I leveled up to MUD games (multi-user dungeons, for those blessed with youth), which were basically fantasy novels with attitude. Today, I’m not diving headfirst into building a full-blown MUD, but I am reliving those glory days by coding up a little interactive adventure. Because sometimes, the best way to feel powerful is to fight imaginary dragons in your terminal.

Today’s Motivation / Challenge

Today’s project is a nod to nostalgia—and to logic. A text-based adventure game might seem like retro fun, but it’s also a perfect beginner’s playground. It lets you practice the fundamentals of coding in a way that doesn’t feel like homework. Plus, if you’ve ever wanted to boss around a computer with “take sword” or “open door,” this is your moment.

Purpose of the Code (Object)

This program is a simple adventure game where the player makes choices and the story branches based on those decisions. Think of it as a choose-your-own-adventure book, but the computer is the narrator and slightly sassier. It lets you explore, pick up items, and either escape gloriously or fail hilariously.

AI Prompt:

Write a Python text-based adventure game with an inventory system, random events, and health tracking. Keep the story short, funny, and beginner-friendly.

Functions & Features

  • Player can choose paths (left or right) with different story outcomes
  • Inventory system to collect key items like swords or gems
  • Random events (find food, get injured, discover treasure)
  • Basic health tracking for survival stakes
  • A few different endings, some happy, some… less so

Requirements / Setup

You need at least Python 3 to run this program. You do not need any extra libraries for this!

Minimal Code Sample

python

CopyEdit

inventory = []

health = 100

def random_event():

    import random

    outcome = random.choice([“nothing”, “injury”, “found_food”])

    if outcome == “injury”:

        print(“You got hurt! Be careful out there.”)

This function shows how the game randomly triggers events that change what happens next.

Adventure Game

Notes / Lessons Learned

I think this kind of game is secretly a coding bootcamp wearing a fun costume. You get to mess with if, elif, and else without feeling like you’re grinding through math problems. It’s also a nice reminder that logic can be creative. Now, someone like my husband would power through this game in ten minutes flat and ask, “Where’s the final boss?” So next time, I might go full nostalgia and build one of those endless-choice games I used to lose hours in: more dragons, more traps, more ridiculous death scenes.

Optional Ideas for Expansion

  • Add a save/load system so players can return to their adventure
  • Introduce simple combat mechanics with attack and defense options
  • Create a branching map system that tracks where the player’s been

Day 16
Day 18

Posted on

Scraping Smiles: When Quotes and Jokes Collide

Day 16 of 100 Days Coding Challenge: Python

Back in the day, I used to hunt for quotes like a digital philosopher—scrolling through pages of wisdom, looking for that one line to slap on a journal page or a sticky note. Some days were tough, and nothing hits quite like a well-timed dad joke to lift the spirits. At one point, I even had one of those “joke-a-day” calendars perched on my desk like a tiny comedian in paper form. So today, I figured, why not build my own quote-and-joke fetching machine? Just a little web scraping magic to keep inspiration (and groans) flowing.

Today’s Motivation / Challenge

Today’s project is all about turning the internet into your personal mood board—one quote and one groan-worthy joke at a time. The goal? Learn the basics of web scraping without frying your brain. You’ll send a polite request to a webpage, receive a heap of HTML in return, and pick out the good stuff—like a claw machine that actually works. It’s a small but mighty step into real-world automation.

Purpose of the Code (Object)

This script scrapes quotes from a publicly available website and fetches a dad joke from an API. It prints both to your terminal for an instant dose of motivation and humor. There’s no fancy GUI or app—just simple code that works behind the scenes like a cheerful assistant with a dry sense of humor.

AI Prompt: Make it cleaner

Create a Python script that scrapes quotes from http://quotes.toscrape.com and fetches a random dad joke from https://icanhazdadjoke.com. Display both in the terminal using clean formatting.

Functions & Features

  • Scrapes inspirational quotes and author names from a static website
  • Pulls a random dad joke from an online API
  • Prints both quote and joke to the terminal in a readable format

Requirements / Setup

pip install requests

pip install beautifulsoup4

Python 3.6+ recommended.

Minimal Code Sample

import requests

from bs4 import BeautifulSoup

# Get quote

soup = BeautifulSoup(requests.get(“http://quotes.toscrape.com”).text, “html.parser”)

quote = soup.find(“span”, class_=”text”).get_text()

author = soup.find(“small”, class_=”author”).get_text()

# Get dad joke

joke = requests.get(“https://icanhazdadjoke.com/”, headers={“Accept”: “text/plain”}).text.strip()

print(f”{quote} — {author}”)

print(f”Joke of the Day: {joke}”)

This snippet shows the basic scraping and fetching process in just a few lines.

Dad Joke Fetcher

Notes / Lessons Learned

The program itself was refreshingly simple—point, click, extract. However, once the quote and joke came flying out of the terminal like a stand-up act with no stage, I realized something: terminal text isn’t exactly audience-friendly. It’s like watching Shakespeare on a Post-it note. Formatting matters. Also, working with APIs felt smoother than HTML scraping—less messy, like ordering takeout instead of cooking with whatever’s left in the fridge.

Optional Ideas for Expansion

  • Save daily quotes and jokes to a .txt or .csv file to build your own “Laughspiration” archive
  • Schedule the script to run automatically each morning (with cron or Task Scheduler)
  • Add categories for quotes (e.g., motivational, funny, philosophical) and let users choose

Day 15
Day 17

Posted on

Python Regex Tester, Refined and Ready for Work

Day 15 of 100 Days Coding Challenge: Python

Regex: the ancient incantation whispered into the void to extract meaning from chaos—or at least, that’s how it feels when you’re debugging it. At work, I’ve been diving into Power Automate, and with a little AI sidekick magic, I managed to whip up a subroutine. Here’s the catch: management is monitoring AI usage as if it were a high-budget Netflix subscription. So if I want to justify it, I have to show results—preferably in PDF form or extracted text using OCR. That’s where regex comes in, acting like a digital highlighter that says, “Hey, this is the bit I want.”
Sure, there are online regex testers, but handing my data to a mystery site on the internet? Not ideal. So, why not just build my own? And voilà—Regex Tester was born, with all the drama of pattern matching and none of the corporate paranoia.

Today’s Motivation / Challenge

Today’s goal was all about building something practical and safe. When you’re automating document workflows at work—especially with sensitive PDFs or scanned images—you want something you can trust. This project enables me to test patterns locally without sharing data, providing me with full control and peace of mind. Additionally, it’s oddly satisfying to watch regex do its detective work in real-time.

Purpose of the Code (Object)

This simple GUI-based tool lets you test regular expressions against any input text. You type in a pattern, paste some text, and instantly see what matches—along with where they appear. It’s a private sandbox for your regex experiments, with none of the “Oops, I just uploaded company secrets to a sketchy website” anxiety.

AI Prompt:

Write a Python program using Tkinter that creates a GUI for testing regular expressions. The user should be able to input a regex pattern and a test string. When a button is pressed, the program should display all matching strings and their positions. Display errors if the pattern is invalid. Keep the interface clean, responsive, and beginner-friendly.

Functions & Features

  • Input fields for both regex pattern and test string
  • “Test Regex” button to trigger evaluation
  • Results window showing matches and positions
  • Error handling for invalid patterns
  • All offline—no data ever leaves your machine

Requirements / Setup

bash

CopyEdit

Python 3.x (Tkinter is included in standard library)

No need to install anything—just run the .py file.

Minimal Code Sample

import re

compiled = re.compile(pattern)

matches = compiled.finditer(test_string)

This finds all the places your pattern matches the test string—like a digital bloodhound sniffing out structure.

Regex Texter GUI

Notes / Lessons Learned

I tested it with some of the Frankenstein-like regex I use at work—and it worked like a charm. Finally, no more awkward toggling between browsers and paranoia over leaking sensitive data. And best of all? It feels good to have built something so useful with my own keyboard and caffeine. Regex might still be cryptic sorcery, but now at least it’s my sorcery.

Optional Ideas for Expansion

  • Add a checkbox for case-insensitive search
  • Highlight matches directly in the test text field
  • Save and reload common patterns from a local file

Day 14
Day 16

Posted on

Scan, Save, Share: QR Codes to the Rescue

Day 14 of 100 Days Coding Challenge: Python

I honestly can’t pinpoint when QR codes became part of our daily visual diet. One day, strange hieroglyphics appeared on a poster, and the next, they were everywhere—from ketchup bottles to gravestones.

I’ve been eyeing them for blog promotion—imagine pointing your phone at a code and instantly landing on a beautifully written post (like this one, for example). It’s a hands-free way to impress your friends and confuse your cat. I even considered slapping a QR code on my GitHub repository just for fun. Why type a URL when you can just scan your way into the internet like a wizard?

Today’s Motivation / Challenge

Today’s project taps into one of the most useful real-world tools you can build with Python: a QR code generator. It’s simple, sleek, and satisfying. If you’ve ever wanted to look like a tech-savvy genius without having to build a rocket, this is your moment. Whether you’re promoting your portfolio, sharing your Wi-Fi, or sending someone directly to your meme collection—QR codes make it smooth and snappy.

Purpose of the Code (Object)

This code takes any text—like a URL, message, or even an email—and turns it into a QR code image that anyone can scan. It simplifies how people access your content, and saves you from typing out long, typo-prone links. Think of it as a shortcut to being impressive.

AI Prompt: Please write a code for “QR code generator” in Python. #provide me, description, #main function, #Repositely name. Make it a GUI Version.

Functions & Features

  • Takes user input and generates a QR code
  • Saves the code as a PNG file
  • Let the user choose where to save the file via GUI
  • Shows a preview of the generated QR code

Requirements / Setup

Make sure you have Python 3.x and install these packages:

css

CopyEdit

pip install qrcode[pil] Pillow

Minimal Code Sample

qr = qrcode.make(“https://example.com”)

qr.save(“example.png”)

GR Generator

Creates a QR code for the link and saves it as an image file.

Notes / Lessons Learned

The first version of this code worked fine—until I forgot to add “.png” to the filename. The result? A mysterious, extension-less file that no image viewer wanted to be friends with.

Then came the GUI upgrade, which was a game changer. Not only could I see the QR code before saving it, but I could also choose exactly where to drop the file—no more hunting around my project folder like a digital bloodhound. It made the process smoother, less error-prone, and oddly satisfying. I didn’t expect a humble little square to make me feel so accomplished.

Optional Ideas for Expansion

  • Add a field to customize QR code color (neon green, anyone?)
  • Embed a logo in the center of the QR code for branding
  • Create a batch mode to generate QR codes from a list of links in a CSV file
Day 13
Day 15

Posted on

Python File Renamer: Turning Folder Chaos into Digital Zen

Day 13 of 100 Days Coding Challenge: Python

Have you ever dumped a bunch of photos from your phone or camera onto your computer, only to be greeted by a wall of files named IMG_2034 or DSC_0198? That was me last week. We’d just come back from visiting my dad in Indiana, and I spent hours renaming photos just so I’d know what was what later. By hour three, I started questioning my life choices.

Today’s app was born out of that chaos. It’s for anyone who’s ever opened their Downloads folder and felt genuine fear. You know the scene—screenshot(385).png, resume_final_final_really_FINAL.docx, and misc.zip (which, let’s be honest, contains nothing but regret).

Eventually, I snapped. I built a File Renamer. Because at some point, every coder realizes the real enemy isn’t broken code—it’s bad file names. My little app brought order to the madness, one underscore at a time. Justice was served. Silently.

Today’s Motivation / Challenge

File naming seems trivial—until it isn’t. Whether it’s organizing screenshots, exported reports, or the fifth version of your side project’s logo, we’ve all played the “rename, regret, repeat” game. This challenge gave me a chance to bring order to chaos, while flexing my Python skills in a way that solves a real, everyday annoyance. Plus, there’s something oddly satisfying about watching a folder transform from digital dumpster to methodical masterpiece.

Purpose of the Code (Object)

This Python app batch-renames files in a folder using a pattern you choose—like photo_1.jpg, photo_2.jpg, and so on. It lets you preview changes, filter by file type, and confirm before anything happens. The final version even adds an undo option and keeps a time-stamped log of renamed files.

AI Prompt:

“Please create a Python code File renamer.”

“Can you add the following function to the GUI version? #Add an undo feature #Add a log file to save old/new names.”

Functions & Features

  • Select a folder with a file dialog (no more mistyped paths)
  • Set custom prefix and starting number
  • Filter files by extension (e.g., .txt, .jpg)
  • Preview all renaming before it happens
  • Automatically log all rename operations with a timestamp
  • Undo your most recent renaming session

Requirements / Setup

  • Python 3.6+
  • No extra libraries needed (just tkinter, which comes with Python)

Minimal Code Sample

for i, file in enumerate(files, start=start_number):

    ext = os.path.splitext(file)[1]

    new_name = f”{prefix}{i}{ext}”

    os.rename(os.path.join(folder_path, file), os.path.join(folder_path, new_name))

This is where the magic happens: renaming each file while keeping its original extension.

File Renamer GUI

Notes / Lessons Learned

So all your files become lovely, logical things like file_1.txt, file_2.txt, and file_3.txt. It was beautiful. It was organized. It was… terrifyingly powerful. That’s when I remembered something crucial: I never get folder paths right. Backslashes, forward slashes, hidden Unicode weirdness—my fingers always betray me.

So I thought, “Let’s make this a GUI.” Because honestly, why should I suffer when I can just click a folder like a functioning adult?

New version, new vibe. It had buttons. It had folder selection dialogs. It even had a preview feature, like the app was politely saying, “Here’s what you’re about to do. You sure about this?” If there were no files to rename, it didn’t throw a tantrum—it simply shrugged and bowed out.

And just when I thought it was “done,” I asked myself:

What if I mess this up?

Enter: undo button and activity log.

Because if we’re going full Renamer Pro Mode™, I want receipts. I added:

  • A complete log of what each file used to be called
  • A timestamp of when the operation occurred
  • An undo feature, because I’m not about to manually rename everything back like it’s 2003

Once I tested everything (successfully, I might add—zero casualties), I realized something strange and wonderful:
This tiny project gave me an idea for improving a workflow at my day job. Turns out, renaming a bunch of files can actually inspire how to batch-handle documents in Power Automate. Who knew?

Oh, and one last grown-up move: I finally added a license to the project.

Here’s what I learned:

A License Type

  • MIT: Super chill. Basically says, “Take it, use it, remix it—just don’t sue me.”
  • GPL: More of a Robin Hood. If you improve it, you share it.
  • Apache 2.0: Like MIT but with a legal helmet.
  • No License: Says, “I’m not ready for commitment.” Basically off-limits.

I went to MIT because this little renamer deserves to be free.

Optional Ideas for Expansion

  • Add a “dry run” mode to simulate renaming without touching files
  • Add support for multiple undo steps (not just one session)
  • Export the log as a CSV file for spreadsheet nerds (no judgment)

Day 12
Day 14

Posted on

Type Like No One’s Watching (But Save That High Score)

Day 12 of 100 Days Coding Challenge : Python

Long before I was writing Python, I was tapping away on a keyboard—but not as a programmer. Nope. I was just a kid in the ’70s with a front-row seat to the future.

My school had not one, but two full rooms of NEC computers (shout-out to NEC, Japan’s pride in beige technology). We even had an official typing class, which sounded very cool… until it started.

See, I thought I’d crush it. I played the piano from a young age, and I was confident—too confident. I figured typing would be the same thing: fingers flying, rhythm flowing, applause optional. Spoiler: it wasn’t.

Turns out, typing is hard when you don’t know where any of the keys are, and your muscle memory insists “A” should make a musical note.

Still, the basic typing program we used worked its magic, and I slowly learned my way around the keyboard. Though to this day, alphanumeric typing still trips me up (looking at you, @ and &).

But hey—nostalgia + Python = today’s challenge:

Today’s Motivation / Challenge

I wanted to recreate the magic of those old typing tutor programs—not because I needed one, but because I was curious if I could build one myself. It was part nostalgia, part challenge, and entirely satisfying to see it work. For any beginner, it’s a great way to practice coding while revisiting a skill we’ve all struggled with at some point: typing fast without panicking.

Purpose of the Code (Object)

This program is a simple typing speed test that measures how fast you can type a sentence. It starts timing when you begin typing and stops when you hit Enter. Then, it tells you how many words you typed per minute. It’s a fun way to practice your typing skills—like those old-school typing tutor programs, but one you built yourself!

AI Prompt: 

Please give me the Python code for the #Typing speed test. After the speed test, it gives you the typing speed per minute. The speed test has started button. #save the last highest score #restart button. Create in GUI.

In the code, I did not want to do it in the Python code environment; rather, I want to do it in a GUI environment. But with a GUI, I need a “Start Button”. 

Functions & Features

List the program’s main capabilities using bullet points. Keep each point brief. Focus only on the essential, core functions.

Example:

  • Calculates typing speed in words per minute
  • Starts the timer when you begin typing
  • Saves high score locally for future runs

Requirements / Setup

State any software, Python version, or libraries needed. Keep it clean and minimal.

pip install requests

Minimal Code Sample

First, we start the clock with start_time = time.time(). Think of it like shouting “Go!” at yourself before a typing race—only the stopwatch is a Python function that quietly counts milliseconds since 1970. Then comes the heart of the drama: typed_text = input(“Start typing: “). This line patiently waits while you furiously hammer out your response, possibly misspelling every third word in your panic to go fast.

Once you hit Enter, we slam the brakes with end_time = time.time(), capturing exactly how long your typing sprint lasted. And now for the moment of truth: Python does the math with print(“WPM:”, len(typed_text.split()) / ((end_time – start_time) / 60)). This gem splits your sentence into words, counts them, and divides by how many minutes you spent typing—voilà, words per minute (WPM)! It’s like a speedometer for your fingers.

And just in case the future, you forget what this code does, there’s a kind little comment: # Calculates words per minute from start to finish. Consider it the sticky note you didn’t know you’d need.

Typing Speed Test

Notes / Lessons Learned

In the code, I did not want to do it in the Python code environment; rather, I want to do it in a GUI environment. But with a GUI, I need a “Start Button”. It helps me to control when I actually started typing. 

Optional Ideas for Expansion

  • Add sound effects when the test begins and ends
  • Track accuracy by comparing typed text to the original
  • Display a leaderboard with names and scores

Day 11
Day 13